Fed grand jury indicts Houston brothers

A federal grand jury in Knoxville returned a 14-count indictment Tuesday against 52-year-old Rocky Joe Houston, charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms; and a one-count indictment against his 54-year-old brother Clifford Leon Houston for possession of firearms while being an unlawful user of controlled substances.

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By Beverly Majors/Staff

Oakridger - Oak Ridge, TN

By Beverly Majors/Staff

Posted Jan. 18, 2013 at 5:05 PM
Updated Jan 18, 2013 at 5:08 PM

By Beverly Majors/Staff

Posted Jan. 18, 2013 at 5:05 PM
Updated Jan 18, 2013 at 5:08 PM

A federal grand jury in Knoxville returned a 14-count indictment Tuesday against 52-year-old Rocky Joe Houston, charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms; and a one-count indictment against his 54-year-old brother Clifford Leon Houston for possession of firearms while being an unlawful user of controlled substances.

Both Houstons are residents of Ten Mile. If convicted, each faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Arraignment for Rocky Houston was set for Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Knoxville and an arraignment and detention hearing for Leon Houston was set for 1:30 p.m. today in the same court.

The brothers were arrested Friday on federal firearms charges after agents and officers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), Roane County Sheriff's Department, and other law enforcement agencies executed arrest and search warrants at the Houston family property in Roane County.

Federal investigators had been watching the brothers since October with a hidden camera attached to a public utility pole near their home. From the surveillance, the officers saw Rocky Houston on at least seven occasions carrying a rifle and a pistol and saw him fire the rifle at least once.

When the authorities came to their house on Barnard Narrows Road Friday, Leon Houston showed up on a four-wheeler with a pistol and two rifles. He reportedly admitted to smoking marijuana.

The Houston brothers were indicted by a Roane County grand jury after the May 11, 2006, killing of Roane County Deputy William Birl Jones and ride-along civilian Gerald Michael Brown. Jones and Brown had reportedly gone to the Houston home about 6 p.m. that day to serve a warrant, but instead got into a gun fight with the two brothers.

Pathology reports said Jones was shot 40 times and Brown 24 times. Both men died at the scene. The were both Rockwood residents and were buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Rockwood on May 17, 2006.

Rocky Houston was also shot at least twice in the gun battle, but his wounds were not life-threatening.

The Houstons stood trial on the murder charges in 2008 but were not convicted. Prosecutors failed to prove who shot first. The prosecution called the shooting an ambush-style attack, but the Houstons insisted the deputy and Brown fired the first shots.

Rocky Houston's only felony conviction came in 2004 when he was found guilty of reckless endangerment and evading arrest after a police chase.

The Houstons have maintained for years their arrests and the shoot-out in 2006 were part of a decades-long police harassment campaign.